The Brass Frame
Multi-material craft · Brass + Walnut + Acrylic · Collector's commission, Ikoyi, Lagos
the process
Client
Dr. Ngozi Eze — private collector and academic, Ikoyi, Lagos
Brief
I want a display object for my study that contains these three things: a section of timber, a cast brass element, and something transparent. I want it to feel like an object of thought — something you pick up and consider. Dimensions: it must sit in the hand.
Material Direction
Brass, walnut, clear acrylic — all three in a single piece
Timeline
2 Weeks
Budget Tier
Craft Commission tier
Our Response
This was an unusual brief — more art direction than fabrication specification. Dr. Eze gave us freedom within tight constraints: three materials, hand-sized, objects of thought.
Our response: a rectangular frame structure in solid brass flat bar — 120mm x 80mm, 8mm bar stock, mitred and silver-soldered at the corners. Set within the frame: a lamella of dark walnut, 6mm thick, occupying the upper third. Below the walnut, a clear acrylic window occupying the lower two-thirds.
The piece has no function beyond itself. It is meant to be picked up. The brass is heavy in the hand. The walnut grain catches the light at an angle. The acrylic clarifies the space behind it.
We made two — one for Dr. Eze and one that remains in the FABRIDIGTS archive. The second will never be sold.
Work in Progress
Delivery Story
The Brass Frame was delivered in a small wooden box, wrapped in natural cotton cloth. Dr. Eze opened it in her study. She held it for several minutes before saying anything. When she did, she said: ‘It’s exactly an object of thought.’ The piece sits on her writing desk. She has since commissioned two more objects from FABRIDIGTS.